[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 6]
[Senate]
[Pages 8660-8661]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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             TRIBUTE TO LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAMES F. JACKSON

 Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. President, today I recognize Lt. Gen. James 
F. Jackson upon his retirement from the U.S. Air Force after 38 years 
of military service to our great nation. General Jackson's 
distinguished military career culminated as Chief of Air Force Reserve 
and Commander, Air Force Reserve Command.
  General Jackson is a 1978 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. He 
completed 14 years on Active Duty, including flying tours in Europe and 
the Pacific before joining the Air Force Reserve in 1992. General 
Jackson has held numerous wing leadership and command positions, as 
well as staff assignments at Eighth Air Force and Headquarters U.S. 
Strategic Command, Headquarters Pacific Air Forces, Headquarters U.S. 
Pacific Command, and Headquarters U.S. Air Force. A career instructor 
pilot and evaluator, the general is a command pilot with more than 
3,600 hours in the F-4 Phantom II, F-16 Fighting Falcon and KC-135R 
Stratotanker.
  In his role as Chief of Air Force Reserve, Headquarters U.S. Air 
Force, in Washington, DC, General Jackson served as principal adviser 
on Reserve matters to the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of Staff 
of the Air Force. As Commander of the Air Force Reserve Command at 
Robins Air Force Base, General Jackson was responsible for 
approximately 70,000 citizen airmen and all Air Force Reserve units 
worldwide, including 36 wings, 10 standalone groups, and a myriad of 
mission support units located at 54 joint and Active component bases 
and nine Reserve bases and stations.
  As the Air Force Reserve's chief advocate within the Pentagon and on 
Capitol Hill, General Jackson defended an annual President's budget 
request amount for the Air Force Reserve of more than $5 billion, which 
enabled the component to remain ready to support combatant commander 
taskings as an integral component of the Air Force team. General 
Jackson's articulate guidance ensured total force solutions were 
integrated into corporate Air Force deliberations on key issues 
including Air Force core mission force mixes, readiness requirements, 
and personnel policies.

[[Page 8661]]

  General Jackson championed the modernization needs of the component's 
aging inventory of aircraft and equipment that yielded an additional 
$400 million in congressional support for Air Force Reserve 
modernization requirements via the National Guard and Reserve equipment 
account. This additional support ensured the mission effectiveness and 
survivability of citizen airmen and preserved the Air Force Reserve as 
an interoperable, flexible, and combat-ready force. As a result, 
Reservists were reliably called upon during his tenure to conduct 
combat and humanitarian operations abroad, in addition to supporting 
our homeland with unique capabilities such as aerial spray and 
hurricane hunting.
  During General Jackson's tenure, Air Force Reservists have mobilized 
in support of 54 named operations and exercises and have conducted 
total force, joint, and coalition operations at more than 100 locations 
worldwide. General Jackson's visionary leadership and ceaseless efforts 
have established the Air Force Reserve as a combat-ready force and an 
essential provider of operational capability, strategic depth, and 
surge capacity. Ultimately, General Jackson successfully postured 
America's citizen airmen to stand as a hedge against risk, while 
remaining fully ready to support ongoing operations and to respond to 
emerging threats with agility and innovation.
  Congratulations to General Jackson on the notable conclusion of an 
outstanding military career. On behalf of the people of the great State 
of Georgia and a grateful Nation, I offer my sincere thanks to General 
Jackson and his wife, Barbara. I wish them both the very best as they 
embark on this new chapter.

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